Luther streetee



uiten tetes atertt @ffice LUTHER STREETER, OF CHIGOPEE, MASSACHUSETTS,ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND RANSOM SHEPARD, OF THE SAME PLACE.

Letters Patent No. 81,839. dated .September 1, 1868.

IMPRQVEBENT Ibi GARDEN-EOE.

@Le dgenie referat tu in these teints atnit aut uniting tart nf tigestmt.

T() ALL WHOM 1T MAY CONGERN:

Be it known that I, LUTHER Srnnnrun, of Chicopcc, in the county ofHampden, and State of Massachusetts, have invented anew and usefulImprovement in Field-Hoes; and I do hereby declare that the following'isa full, clear, and exact doscription'lthereot', reference being had tothe accompanying drawing, making apart of this speciiicatioii, and tothe letters of reference marked thereon, which said drawing shows anelevation of said hoe.

My invention consists in constructingr a. hoe with a forked shank, whichis attached to the blade at two points, the other end of the shankterminating in a socket, for the reception of the handle..

So far as I am aware, field-hoes, or hoes having a. tlat piece of sheetmetal for a blade, have been constructed with a plain single shank,whiclnis attached to the middle of the upper edge of the blade, andaffords but a single point of support for the blade, in consequenceoi`which the blade must be made of thicker metal, to prevent its bendingand springing at the ends. The shank itself, being a4 single piece, mustalso be made very heavy, or be carefully tempered, to resist the strainand blows to which it is subjected when the Yhoe is innsc. Itis alsodesirable'that the blade should be slightly curved in the direction ofits length, from the middle towards veach end-a form which is preferredby farmers to a perfectly pla-ne blade; and, with a single shankattached to the middle of the upper edge of the blade, it is impossibleto make the blade retain this curved form, unless formed of thick metal,the extra weight of which is undesirable. To ohviate these dihculties,and to use a thinner plate, and construct a lighter hoe, the bladeofwhich shall be as rigid as a thicker plate with the single shank, andshall retain its curved form, is the object of my invention.

The construction of said hoe is as follows: The blade`A B C D is made ofthin iron or steel plate, and, for ordinary use, is about nine incheslong by three and one-half inches wide The-handle-end of the .shank ismade in the form of a hollow socket, into which the handle is insertedand riveted, although it may be made in the form of a tapering solidspike, to be driven into the-end of the .wooden handle. I i

Beyond the socket, the shank divides, and forms thetwo prongs, E .S T, FS T, which are precisely alike, and are curved between S and T. The endsof the prongs which come in contact with the blade are firittencd, andriveted securely to the latter, being curved, so as to give the properinclination ofthe blade to the handle.

By this construction, itV will be seen that great strength is impartedto the implement, as the angular prongs, and the Ablade to which theyare riveted, brace one another, so as to resist a lateral strain, aswell as the usual vertical strain. It will also be seen that the blade AB C D is made longer than -the blades of the ordinary single-shankedhoes, and that this extra length is possible with a forked shank, whichcarries the points o f support nearer the ends of the blade. I I

I am aware that a double shank, as distinguished from a forked shank,has been used upon sc'uilie-hoes, as appears in the patent granted toI.Pardee, March 31, 1868, which construction of two separateshank-pieces would not accomplish the objects of vmy intention, as setforth, and I disclaim such construction, as set forth in Said LettersPatent, my invention being limited to .a forked shank, terminating in'asingle socket or tang, and attached to the nearly plane hoe-hlade, inthe manner hereinbefore set forth, and constituting a field-hoe, asdistinguished from a scuifle-hoe, with which latter implementmy'invention has no connection, the shank being applied to a scuie-hoeon the inside of the blade, and at nearly a. right angle to it. Ibelieve that my invention furnishes means hithertonnused for thispurpose, by which any desired curve can be imparted to the blade, andmade permanent, without increasing the Weight of the implement. A

Having described myvinvention, what ,I claim as new therein, and desireto secu1e`hy Letters Patent, is

In combination with the blade A D of a field-hoe, which is more or lesscurved in the direction of its length, the forked shank terminating inva single socket or tangfor the handle, and applied to the blade, as setforth,

the.whole constructed and arranged substantially as described.

LUTHER S'JREETER` Witnesses:

Guo. D. ROBINSON, TnoMAs TAYLOR.

